Rorschach left the office, letter of introduction from Teacher Caroline in hand.
'I owe her one now, don't I...' Rorschach wasn't too bothered when it came to Teacher Caroline. She had always looked out for the body's original owner, and seeing her gave him a unique sense of familiarity.
With nothing left to do during his last few days at the academy, Rorschach went out for a good round of drinks with Bart and Richard. He came to a momentous conclusion: the only bar food in the Empire was either sausage or some kind of potato-like tuber. Thanks to a lack of spices, the flavor couldn't compare to the food from his past life.
Besides magic, the thing Rorschach currently enjoyed most was the atmosphere of Dian Castle. The castle and its surrounding woodlands took up nearly half of the Queens District. Dian was the Moon Goddess of this land back in the era of the Barbaric Tribes. After the founding of the Old Empire, she fell into a deep slumber and no longer answered her followers' prayers. However, her identity as the Goddess of the Moon and Hunting was already deeply embedded in the culture of the northern Empire. As its name suggested, Dian Castle had been built as a seasonal hunting palace during the time of Old Duke William; when it was constructed, the Imperial Capital's Queens District didn't even exist.
'Then it was donated by Duke Little William. Did the young duke have some traumatic childhood memories in this castle and decide to just give it away?' Rorschach mused as he walked down a corridor lined with suits of armor. He passed one painting after another depicting the history of the Empire and its Mages—he'd checked, and the figures inside didn't move. 'What a shame, what a shame.'
With the twisted mindset of a tourist, Rorschach whiled away the last of his days at the academy. During that time, the dean delivered a speech to all the newly-minted Mages who had passed their examinations.
"Today, you take pride in the Empire and the academy! Tomorrow, the Empire and the academy will take pride in you!"
"Hmph," came Bart's disdainful snort.
"Pfft," came Rorschach's irrepressible snicker at the same time.
The rest of the speech was utterly unremarkable, making Rorschach realize with profound clarity that some things couldn't be changed, not even with wondrous magic. Standing in the courtyard at the start of summer, sweating in his Official Mage robe, Rorschach wanted nothing more than to launch a purple-quality Fireball Skill at the speaker.
'What kind of shitty, first-person, open-world game is this, with its unskippable cutscenes?'
After Rorschach received the offer from the Tower of Stars, Sibins sought him out again.
"This is the first payment. Another twelve will be sent to your parents." The Discipline Chief first laid out twelve Gold Coins, then produced thirty Silver Coins. "These Silver Coins are for your journey. Don't go spending the gold before you reach the Royal Capital; it'll only attract trouble."
"Understood." Rorschach accepted the money. He first bagged the Gold Coins and placed them in his Storage Ring—a parting gift from Bart, given, in his own words, to express his gratitude for Rorschach helping him pass all his classes for four years straight. He tucked the remaining Silver Coins into an inner pocket, hidden beneath his Mage Robe. "The perks in our organization aren't half bad."
"His Majesty doesn't mistreat talented individuals." The Discipline Chief's unnatural, stiff smile returned. "Especially talented individuals who are useful and loyal."
Rorschach just took the money, not caring whether his boss was offering a carrot or a stick.
"I feel you trust me far too easily, Sir."
"It wasn't easy at all. We know you. We started learning about you, watching you, even before you enrolled in the academy. Of course, the organization keeps an eye on many children, but very few become qualified Casters. That's why you're worth this price, Rorschach Mage."
"Very well, Sir."
Sibins also taught Rorschach how to make emergency contact with the organization in the Holy Kingdom and what constituted an emergency. This included, but was not limited to, the Holy Kingdom declaring war on the Empire, the death of the Holy Kingdom's short King, or the Magic Guild convening its council of elders...
With the funds he'd received, Rorschach could afford to take a Floating Airship—reinforced by Magic Arrays and maintained by Low Tier Mages—and reach the capital of the Holy Kingdom in as little as a week.
However, the Tower of Stars had thoughtfully given him a two-month deadline; he just had to report before the start of winter. Besides, Rorschach's funds were still tight, and he would likely have more expenses once he arrived in the Royal Capital.
'Time to think outside the box.'
Rorschach held his head high and strode into the Adventurer Association.
If he took the same route as a passenger, he'd have to pay someone else. But if he became a Mage guard for a merchant caravan, they'd have to pay him.
The two largest and wealthiest nations on the continent would always have frequent trade, so long as they weren't on the brink of war—even if their relations were somewhat tense. Rorschach scanned the recruitment board; sure enough, there was no shortage of merchant caravans heading to the Royal Capital and looking to hire Bodyguards.
Most of the requests on the board were for escort missions, with a small number for forming teams to go on adventures or conduct investigations. For instance, a Monihe University archaeology team was recruiting investigators to explore some mountain ruins... Rorschach had a sudden feeling that joining a group like that was a surefire way to end up dead or insane.
All in all, the Adventurer Association was just a talent market for mercenaries. The people who showed up were all powered-up oddballs looking for short-term gigs, and the teams were mostly just Otherworld-style Tomb Raider Captains who liked to call the tombs of ancient Nobility and Great Mages "ruins."
"Welcome! This must be your first visit to the Adventurer Association." The boy who entered looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, and the way he looked around as soon as he came in marked him as a total rookie. But he was wearing the robe of the Empire Royal Magic Academy, so what could she do? The receptionist dared not be neglectful and hurried over to greet him with a professional smile.
"Are you here to post a request, or to accept one?"
"I'm here to accept an escort mission."
The receptionist first had Rorschach fill out a form with his name, age, and home country. Then she inspected his Empire Caster certificate and the First-level Mage badge issued by the Magic Guild. The former was a steel plate stamped with a unique pattern, while the latter was a Mithril Badge that was personally bound to Rorschach.
Rorschach removed the badge. It was engraved with a Magic Circuit of nine nodes. He injected Magic Power into the nodes in a sequence known only to him, and the badge immediately glowed with an arc of blue light. Tiers One to Three were blue, Tiers Four to Six were purple, and the top three tiers were crimson. 'A cleverly encrypted ID card, I guess.'
"A Basic Level Mage (Tiers One to Three) is equivalent to a Silver Level Adventurer. These are the quests you can accept." The receptionist kindly pulled down several recruitment notices for him—a courtesy not extended to other Silver Level Adventurers. Skipping the Iron Level, where one could only take on a string of minor requests, was also a huge convenience.
'A Mage really is in a league of their own. No doubt about it.'
"I'm only accepting escort missions from the Imperial Capital to Valuva, the capital of the Holy Kingdom."
"That's a rather long route, and the cargo being escorted is usually quite valuable. There aren't many quests available to Silver Level Adventurers, but let me see what I can find for you..."
In the end, Rorschach selected a suitable quest: escort a shipment of furs and leather goods to the capital of the Holy Kingdom. The raw materials came from the Black Forest, and the items were crafted by the finest artisans in the Imperial Capital. The time limit was one month.
Since he needed to contact the client, the receptionist invited Rorschach up to a reception room on the Guild's second floor. This was an area normally reserved for Gold Level Adventurers, but Rorschach's "I'm a Mage" buff got him an automatic upgrade.
The client was a middle-aged man dressed as a steward. Everything from his handlebar mustache to his polished leather boots was impeccably maintained. To match his fine, well-tailored clothes, his every gesture was the picture of propriety and elegance.
This representative of the Lowe Commerce Association gathered all interested Adventurers at the Guild's training grounds to question them and test their abilities.